Nancy,
I am sorry I have not run across Whitely Wright. My Willises do not appear
to be Quakers even though their travels seem to parrallel some of the
Quakers. As far as my personal research, I found William Willis in Guilford
Co., NC in the late 1700s and very early 1800s.. The family had moved to
Franklin Co. IN (later Union Co.) before 1811. It appears that Willis Wright
was with them in both places. Other researchers say that my William came
from Caroline Co. MD (as did many Quakers). Someone on Genforum suggested
that Willis Wright also came from MD. Have been looking at land records of
Willises in Caroline Co., and several Wrights were there, buying and selling
land to Willises, but no Willis Wright. All of this sounds a bit nebulous,
but there is a link here somewhere. Any help or thoughts are appreciated. I
know more about the Willises as the generations go on down. Let me know if
you are interested or what other questions you may have. Yes, there were
Willises that were Quakers. I found a Joel Willis and family in NC, but have
no indication that they were related to mine. One son of William Willis
(Thomas) was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and my ancestor,
Robert, was a staunch Presbyterian. I think it possible that Robert's mother
may have come from a line of Presbyterian ministers but can't prove that
either. Her name was apparently spelled incorrectly on the marriage
certificate. OH, such mysteries.
Linda in Tulsa